Happy NFL Draft Eve! This 1st round mock was made with the assumption that all 32 teams stay put and draft accordingly.

***Disclaimer***: There is rumored to be a few trades in the works in just the first round alone. Picks and teams may change and mess up this entire mock.

1. Cleveland Browns – Sam Darnold, QB, USC

It’s no secret Cleveland wants their quarterback of the future. Darnold appears to be the guy they want. Crazier things have happened but the consensus seems to be Darnold will be Cleveland’s guy at number one.

2. New York Giants – Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

I know “experts” think top 5 is too high for a running back. But that’s what “experts” said about Ezekiel Elliott as well, and he is the best back in the league. Barkley is not only an elite running back but also an elite pass catching back. The Giants very well could go O-Line (Nelson) with this pick but I think it’ll be too hard for NY to pass up on arguably the best player in the draft. With Darnold off the board, Barkley goes to NY at #2. Also still holding out hope the Giants sign Dez Bryant. I not only want to see Dez play Dallas twice a year for entertainment purposes, NY is the only team in the division I can somewhat stand.

3. New York Jets – Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

The Jets and Baker Mayfield just seem to go together. Jets moved up to get their guy at #3 who they believe to be the QB that will take them over the top in the future. Mayfield will not need to start right away and will likely come in as the #3 QB on the roster. But will learn for at least a year and it’s the Jets hope he will take the reins at some point in the future.

4. Cleveland Browns – Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State

Cleveland gets the best pass rusher in the draft at 4 after getting their QB of the future at 1. Nice haul for a Browns team that for the first time in many, many years, looks like they may be headed in the right direction.

5. Denver Broncos – Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame

Elway is on record saying he is willing to trade this pick. So this is where I think the draft could get crazy. But if everything were to stand pat, Denver would be smart to take Quenton Nelson. He is the best offensive lineman in the draft, would provide protection for newly acquired QB Case Keenum, and should be a future pro bowler for years to come.

6. Indianapolis Colts – Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

To break the heart of many teams following this pick, the Colts take Roquan Smith. Many consider Smith to be the best defensive player in the draft and his athleticism, intelligence, and leadership make him the perfect pick for the Colts who are trying to re-invent their defensive identity.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Derwin James, S, Florida State

Derwin James is a stud. Tampa Bay will pounce on the chance to take James at 7 if he is still available (barring any trade ups). Don’t pay attention to the rumors of James falling. If these GM’s have done their homework they will see that James is a can’t miss safety and arguably the best DB in the draft.

8. Chicago Bears – Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech

Tremaine Edmunds is a freak athlete. At only 19 years old, he probably has the most potential in the entire draft. The bears snag him here and have the potential cornerstone to their defense for years to come.

9. San Francisco 49ers – Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama

Minkah Fitzpatrick is the most intriguing prospect in the first round. He can line up at any DB position. His versatility is his biggest strength but also weakness ,which dropped him below James, as NFL teams must have a clear idea of where they want to play him. He could be great at any of the defensive back positions it’s just a matter of finding which position works best for the team. But San Francisco will be thrilled to have such a versatile weapon at their disposal at #9 and they’ll figure out where he fits best.

10. Oakland Raiders – Vita Vea, DT, Washington

Vita Vea is a big, strong, quick 1-tech defensive tackle. Some mocks have him falling but I think Oakland snags him here at 10. His speed and quickness are what jumps out, and to be so big and strong, and be that fast, he’s a one of a kind DT and the best one in the draft.

11. Miami Dolphins – Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

The Dolphins are beyond thrilled that Hot Tub Rosen fell out of the top 10 and into their laps at 11. Rosen has the potential to be a very good QB. And with the uncertainty of Tannehill’s future in MIA as the QB, Rosen makes a lot of sense here.

12. Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

At 12 sits the biggest question mark in the draft. While Josh Allen dropped out of the projected top 5, he still goes earlier than I think he should. The unproven QB from Wyoming, with no big wins or impressive stats, gets picked up at 12 by Buffalo. Sounds like Buffalo right? The arm strength is there. The measurables are there. But there’s so much uncertainty with Allen that this is the biggest gamble in the draft.

13. Washington FC – Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

Washington FC (Football Club) couldn’t get up to the podium fast enough to announce this pick. Denzel Ward may not make it out of the Top 10 but if he does, this fills a real need for Washington FC.

14. Green Bay Packers – Harold Landry, DE, Boston College

Harold Landry is so skilled at rushing the passer he will not make past this pick. Landry fits right in with GB and their scheme and will be hounding QB’s for years to come. There will always be a need for pass rushers and Landry is about as good as it gets.

15. Arizona Cardinals – Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

Some mocks have AZ taking a QB with this pick. But with the recent signings of Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon, it appears AZ is comfortable with their QB situation at the moment. They pick up a great value pick here and fill a need at tackle with the best one on the board.

16. Baltimore Ravens – Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

The Baltimore Ravens take who they believe to be the best WR in the draft. They recently signed Willie Snead but I don’t think that takes them out of the running to draft who they believe will be their number one WR of the future. Ridley is the most polished out of the all the WR prospects and this alone is why he will be the number one receiver taken in the 2018 draft.

17. Los Angeles Chargers – Leighton Van Der Esch, LB, Boise State

Thank the Football Gods that LVE is selected at 17. As a Cowboys fan, if he was there at 19 it’s been widely speculated that this would be the Cowboys pick. He may be good down the line, but LVE is all potential at this point. Not that excited about the player, but hey, I’ve been wrong before. (Not often).

18. Seattle Seahawks – Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA

With the entire Seattle defense doing a complete overhaul, it’s time to get some new blood on this case. Marcus Davenport is the best remaining pass rusher and can come in and start right away for Seattle next season.

19. Dallas Cowboys – Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

Courtland Sutton was the top rated receiver all year until the combine and pro days. If the Cowboys truly want to replace Dez Bryant, Sutton is the guy. DJ Moore makes a lot of sense here too if Dallas is set on going WR in round one but I think Sutton’s pure skill as a jump ball receiver and his size give him the edge over any other receiver in this draft and make him the perfect fit for the Cowboys. By letting #88 go, the Cowboys made WR one of if not the biggest need on this team. Sutton could step in day one and while he may not duplicate the production of Dez, he could be somewhere close. Just don’t give him the #88. It’s too soon…

20. Detroit Lions – Taven Bryan, DT, Florida

Taven Bryan has drawn JJ Watt comparisons. Not only because they are big and white but Bryan is actually a dominant force against the pass and the run.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – James Daniels, C, Iowa

James Daniels could be dominant at either Center or Guard. QB could be enticing for Cincinnati here but they end up taking

22. Buffalo Bills – Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa

Bills got their Quarterback earlier in the draft and now they get their Cornerback. Jackson has been ranked as the highest CB coming out and I’ve also seen some have a 2nd or 3rd round grade on him. He may not have elite speed but he is a physical, rangy CB

23. New England Patriots – Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

And there he goes! The most electrfying football player in college football history goes #23 to the New England Patriots. Lamar Jackson may end up being the best Quarterback in this draft class and he’ll going to the best team of the past two decades. This is the most fun pick of the draft, as the Patriots get their successor to Brady. Jackson couldn’t dream of a better situation. If Brady ends up playing for 4 or 5 more years, he’ll get shipped off to a new team and get that Jimmy G money!

24. Carolina Panthers – DJ Moore, WR, Maryland

Carolina gets DJ Moore! The shifty and explosive reciever goes to a team that will perfectly utilize his talent.

25. Tennesse Titans – Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama

Rashaan Evans is a very interesting prospect. He’s got the speed to compete at the next level and plays extremely hard. He’s a steal here for Tennessee.

26. Atlanta Falcons – Da’ron Payne, DT, Alabama

Da’ron Payne is a perfect fit here for Atlanta. Rumblings around the league are that Atlanta highly covets the big man in the middle.

27. New Orleans Saints – Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina

Really believe New Orleans wants to go TE here with all the first round QB’s taken off the board. It was a toss-up between Hayden Hurst and Dallas Goedert. Hurst is a slightly better blocker while Goedert is a slightly better receiver. New Orleans has changed its offensive philosophy and wants to run more in future years. So Hurst edges out Goedert ever so slightly.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers – Justin Reid, S, Stanford

Little brother of Eric Reid, Justin Reid has the makeup to be as great if not greater than his brother. Justin Reid is the playmaking safety that Pittsburgh hasn’t had in quite a while.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars – Conor Williams, T, Texas

Connor Williams is a little small for Tackle and there’s a lot of question marks about him transitioning to the speed of the NFL. But he’s worth taking a gamble on this late in the first round.

30. Minnesota Vikings – Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia

Wynn could end up being the best offensive lineman in this draft. The biggest question mark is what position will he play in the NFL. Can play either tackle or guard.

31. New England Patriots – Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

New England lost their starting left tackle (Nate Solder) in free agency. They need a tackle. Kolton Miller plays tackle. Boom.

32. Philadelphia Eagles – Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

This is scary. The Eagles don’t really have any glaring needs. Jay Ajayi only has one year left on his deal. The Eagles pick up the next best RB in the draft and

Thanks for reading!

Please come back to this website later in the week for the return of The J. Bright Show podcast! Also available on Soundcloud and the Podcasts app. We will have post-draft analysis, draft grades, and so much more! Also I will be live tweeting the draft so if you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter: @JBrightSports

Thanks to the wonderful people at FanSpeak I was able to do a complete draft for the Dallas Cowboys. This site allows you to make selections for your favorite team through a generated full seven round mock NFL draft through their wonderful draft simulator. The best part is, the picks and rankings are based off of whatever site you feel most comfortable trusting. I did mine based off of CBS Sports (because NFL.com hasn’t updated their rankings for 2 weeks).

I also took into account who the Cowboys had in for visits and my personal preferences of course.

So here it is: My Dallas Cowboys 2016 Mock Draft.

Jalen Ramsey of course is my pick at four.

In the second round wide receiver Will Fuller fell to the Cowboys at 34 and he’d be a great pick. I was torn because defensive end Kevin Dodd was also available and he would fill a need but I had to go Fuller here. His speed and quickness to go alongside Dez Bryant would give Dallas that second playmaker at wide receiver that they desperately need. This is also a need since Terrance Williams will be a free agent at the end of next season.

In the third round I was surprised Derrick Henry fell to 67. I’ve seen some reports that Henry could fall to the third round but I didn’t really think it would happen. But according to CBS Sports this is a real possibility. So Henry was the obvious choice in round three.

In the fourth round I took some chances. With the 101st pick I took Jaylon Smith. The outside linebacker was projected in the top five before is horrible injury that will sideline him for all of next season. He is worth taking a chance on in the fourth round if you look at the big picture. If he comes back as half of what he was then he could still be a contributor for a winning team. If he comes back as the dominant player he once was then you got a steal in the fourth round.

I also took Dak Prescott in the fourth round. It’s no secret the Cowboys are in love with Prescott. The Cowboys had him in for the maximum amount of workouts possible and have hinted towards drafting him. He would be an excellent backup for Romo and i believe he will be the best quarterback in this draft.

The Cowboys have four sixth round picks and will likely move them for others, to possibly move up in the draft. But if they stay where they are, I chose a couple of defensive ends for depth and two former TCU standouts that the Cowboys have had in for workouts. Green could be a good back and possible practice squad player that could make the team if Dunbar isn’t what he used to be, and Kindred is a dark horse to make the team if drafted because of his versatility. He could be a good special teams player for Dallas and backup safety.

With Rams’ and Eagles’ trades, picks one and two are locked. Goff and Wentz will be those picks.

As I wrote in a previous article, the draft really begins at pick number three. Who will San Diego select?

Laremy Tunsil? Jalen Ramsey? Deforest Buckner?

San Diego has done a great job of keeping their pick under wraps and has everyone speculating who they will select.

So with that being unknown, here is my Cowboys’ wish list for the number four pick in the draft.

JBrightSports Cowboys Big Board:

1. Jalen Ramsey

2. Ezekiel Elliot

3. Laremy Tunsil

4. Shaq Lawson

5. Lequan Treadwell

I support any of these guys being picked with that number four pick or trading down to select one of these five players.

The more I hear Zeke To Dallas the more I’m leaning towards him being the pick. But only if Jalen Ramsey is a San Diego Charger by pick four.

Would love Laremy Tunsil also but this draft is pretty deep at offensive line. That’s not the biggest need of the Cowboys but he could be the best player in this draft. So any of these three at number four would be excellent.

I would trade down for Lawson or Treadwell but they would be excellent picks as well. Both filling needs for this football team.

It’s going to be really hard to mess up this pick. With so much talent at the top of the draft, one of the top two talents other than quarterback will be there.

Stay tuned for my next post: A Full Draft Cowboys Mock.
Thanks for reading.

I sort of made my bed this past week and now I have to lay in it. I picked the Mavs to beat the Thunder in seven games in the first round of the playoffs and it looks like I might’ve been completely out of my mind after the Mavs got embarrassed on Saturday in the worst playoff loss in franchise history.

The Mavericks hold a special place in my heart. Call me crazy, but every year I feel like they have a chance to do the impossible and win it all.

Coming into the playoffs I wouldn’t have given Dallas a chance against anyone. Especially against any of the top four teams in the West.

But, after that six-game winning streak to secure a playoff spot, I saw something in these Mavericks that I hadn’t seen all year… Heart.

The key component to finding that “heart”… was rookie forward Justin Anderson.

Justin Anderson aka Simba showed us all why he should be on the floor for long stretches of every game. His tenacity on the boards, his unmatched energy, and his passion for doing the little things is what helped these older guys find their heart.

But he was not allowed to do that last game as he didn’t receive any meaningful minutes in that disgusting game until it was too late.

When Chandler Parsons went out with his season-ending injury it was a blessing in disguise for Dallas. This allowed Justin Anderson to get minutes and allowed Dallas to see if they’d found something with their 1st round pick.

Parson’s injury has also allowed there to be more ball movement and better match-ups defensively because Parson’s was a ball-stopper on offense and Anderson is a much better defender. He just seemed to be a better fit for this Dallas team and I thought Rick Carlisle realized that.

But I was wrong.

Last game Dallas rolled out this starting lineup.

PG – D. Williams (Hurt)

G – J.J. Barea (hurt)

F – W. Matthews

F – D. Nowitzki

C – S. Mejri

How did Dallas expect to keep up with two of the top five players in the game today (Westbrook and Durant) with this lineup?

The Mavs zone was picked apart very early on and Oklahoma City won the game pretty much in the first quarter.

How The Mavs Can Shock The World:

For starters, here’s who should be the starters:

PG – R. Felton

SG – W. Matthews

SF – J. Anderson

PF – D. Nowitzki

C – Z. Pachulia

Deron Williams looks like he’ll be out with a sports hernia so Raymond Felton who has done a great job for the Mavs this year should be the obvious choice to start in his place.

J.J. Barea is out as well so instead of staying small the Mavs should get bigger. Start with Felton on Westbrook but in a couple of minutes put Matthews on Westbrook. Throwing different defenders at him may not stop him but with Westbrook you can only hope to slow him down.

Now on to the matchup of the game:

Justin Anderson vs. Kevin Durant

Obviously Durant is the superior player versus Anderson, but Anderson’s lack of court time is actually an advantage in this situation. He understands that Durant is one of the best players in the league but he’s so young and athletic that he will go all out on the defensive end and solely focus on slowing down Durant and he doesn’t have the mileage on his body to where he would tire out. He could hound Durant up and down the court the entire game. Now I don’t think he will neutralize Durant in any way but he is the Mavericks best bet at keeping Durant out of the paint.

Another big matchup to look out for is:

Zaza Pachulia vs. Enes Kanter

I have Zaza in my starting lineup tonight for the Mavs but I still think he will match-up with Kanter at some point in this game. Look for Dallas to try to keep Oklahoma City out of the paint this game as Dallas was out-rebounded 56-33 last game and they will look to make those numbers not so far apart. If Pachulia and the rest of the Mavs “big-men” can keep Oklahoma City off the glass then Dallas has a chance.

It’s a tough task but if the Mavs can somehow come out here and even up the series 1-1, then this may just be the formula to do it.

It’s that time of year again. Today is the first day of the NBA Playoffs.

This has been one of the best regular seasons of all-time and the ending was movie-worthy. From Kobe’s 60 points in Los Angeles to Steph Curry and the Warriors breaking the single season wins record in The Bay.

Well now it’s playoff time and the competitiveness will be at its peak every night.

So with all of this excitement surrounding this year’s playoffs I couldn’t just make my predictions alone. I had to recruit two of the greatest sports mind’s of this century: Derrik Neal and Weston Washington.

The Los Angeles Rams wasted no time making a big splash in their new city. In the biggest draft trade since they were on the receiving end of multiple picks in 2012, the Rams acquired the number one pick in this years’ NFL Draft from the Tennessee Titans.

Trade Breakdown:

Tennessee trades its first (No. 1) along with its fourth- (No. 113) and sixth-round (No. 177) picks this year to the Rams in exchange for Los Angeles’ first-round pick (No. 15), two second-round selections (Nos. 43 and 45) and a third-round pick (No. 76) in 2016. The Titans also will get the Rams’ first- and third-round picks in 2017.

Apparently this trade was already in place to be made last night but the Rams waited to announce it because of #MambaDay. Yes. Kobe not only broke twitter last night, but he halted news of the biggest NFL trade of the year.

Let’s take a moment to recognize what we all witnessed last night.

Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in the final game of his career. Kobe Bryant took 50 shots to do so. Kobe Bryant scored 15 points in the final three minutes to spark a 17-2 run and a come from behind victory. Kobe Bryant’s 60 points was the most by any player this season.

And oh yeah, the Warriors won 73 games and broke the single season wins record…

Kobe’s performance was the best thing I’ve ever seen in the most meaningless game of all-time. That was the greatest exit in sports history.

Ok Back to The Trade:

The great Adam Scheffer of ESPN has said that the Rams are leaning towards drafting former California quarterback Jared Goff with the number one pick.

This would make the draft very interesting.

It’s been widely speculated that the Cleveland Browns wanted to take a quarterback with their number two pick even though they signed Robert Griffin III this offseason. The quarterback that the Browns are believed to have liked the most is former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.

If this were to happen and Goff and Wentz go one and two then that would be the best possible scenario for the Dallas Cowboys. Because then the best two available players in this year’s draft would fall right into your lap.

Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil formerly of Ole Miss and defensive back Jalen Ramsey of Florida State are the best two players in this draft. Both of these guys were considered to be in play at number one had Tennessee kept the pick. Now they may fall to the Cowboys.

Jalen Ramsey has been on many ESPN shows today stating he would love to come to the Cowboys. He considers himself a cornerback (although he’s willing to play safety), he says the Cowboys could play him at cornerback immediately.

Also Ramsey has said that he hasn’t had much contact with Cleveland. They called him once but that’s about it. It seems they have their heart set on drafting a quarterback.

So what will San Diego do at number three?

Either way if the Cowboys are smart, they can’t lose.

Draft Ramsey and add him with Scandrick, Jones, and Claiborne to form a pretty good secondary. Or Draft Tunsil and move him to right tackle and turn the best offensive line in football to the greatest offensive line of all-time.

There’s no telling what’ll happen April 28th but one thing is for sure.. This whole thing just got a whole lot more interesting.

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers came away with an opening day victory against King Felix and the Mariners yesterday. The Rangers now 1-0 sit atop the A.L. West standings. #HelloWinColumn

While it’s a little premature to start looking at the standings, the opening day victory was impressive nonetheless.

The Texas Rangers won the game 3-2 while only garnering one hit.

Due to some untimely errors for Seattle and an impressive pitching performance by Hamels and the Rangers’ bullpen, the Rangers were able to squeak out a victory for its sold out crowd.

HOW’D IT HAPPEN:

Two early home runs by Seattle’s Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager gave Seattle a 2-0 lead through five innings. But with a little Texas magic the Rangers rallied to score three runs off one hit. That hit was appropriately a “Texas Blooper” into left field off the bat of Prince Fielder.